Automatic show-case or clothing-cabinet.



G. 0. BOUGHARD. AUTOMATIC snow CASE 0R CLOTHING CABINET.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 2, 1913.

1,079,632. In Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

: an ueMtoz GQBmzcha/d Witnesses MMM G. O. BOUOHARD.

AUTOMATIC SHOW CASE OR CLOTHING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1913.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

z 0 L M a 0 w a G, 0,50 14 chard,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I sconce o. noucnlmn, or GRAND RAPIDS. momma.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Application filed A ril 2, 1913. Serial No. 758,465.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. BOUCHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Show-Cases or Clothing-Cabinets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains'to make and use the same. 4

This invention relates broadly to store furniture and has particular reference to that type of show cases known as clothing display cabinets.

As its principal object, this invention contemplates the construetion of a clothing display cabinet equipped with means for pro jecting the clothing supporting rack from the interior of the cabinet simultaneously with the opening of the cabinet door.

A still further object resides in the construction of the cabinet with such regard to proportion, number and arrangement of parts that the manufacturing cost of furniture of this type may be greatly reduced.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the. following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended'hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodi ment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throu hout the several views of which similar re erence numerals designate corresponding parts: Fi re 1 is a front elevation of the cabinet with the door in closed position; Fig. 2 is a front eleva-i tion of the door in open position; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectionon the line 4.--4 of Fig. 1 Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a detail view with a portion of the shaft stretcher employed in adjusting the device.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings, this invention includes three main elements, the cabinet body proper, a clothes rack mounted therein, and means operatively connected to the swinging door of the cabinet for projecting the clothes rack from the cabinet simultaneously with the.

the box is provided with the customary base and top members, 4 and 5, respectively. A reyolvlng door 6, which may be of any sultable shape, although the preferred. em-

bodiment of this member is in the nature of.

three segments of an octagonal structure, is adapted to normally close the open side of the box, being mounted on radial suppo tin arms 7, and 7. These supporting arms and 7 are formed integrally with a loose collar 8 mounted on the vertical shaft 9 and held in adjusted position thereon bv a set screw 10, or other suitable fastening means. A set of these supporting arms 7 in their assembled position are arranged at the top and bottom of the cabinet, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 3.

The clothes supporting rack of this invention does not require detail description, inasmuch as it forms no particular part of this invention, consisting, preferably, of a circular band 11 supported by suitable radial arms, and a hub 12 rotatably mounted on the shaftv 9 at the upper end thereof and held in desired position by collars 13. It will be apparent that the essential feature of this clothes rack is that it is revolubly mounted on the shaft 9 to facilitate the display of the goods.-

Passing now to the description of the means employed in effecting the projection of the clothes rack from the interior of the cabinet simultaneously with the opening of the door, this structure includes a pair of bearing plates 14 arran ed at the upper and lower terminals of the aft 9, and mounted for sliding movement in track ways 15,

formed in the base of the top members 4 and 5 of the cabinet, through the medium of roller casters 16, or other similar means.

It will be apparent from the above description, that, inasmuch as the shaft 9 is journaled at its lower and' upper terminals in the bearing plates 14, which are in turn mounted on the casters l6 and are, therefore, adapted for sliding movement forwardly and rearwardly within the cabinet, the shaft and, consequently, the clothes rack.11,-may be disposed within the approximate center of the cabinet, or may be drawn toward, the

front thereof. However efficient this structure might be, it is, nevertheless, desirable that some means be provided for automatically projecting the clothes rack 11 from the interior of the cabinet simultaneously with the opening of the cabinet door and there has, therefore, been provided for the purpose of accomplishing this result a metallic band 17 which, in the absence of a better and more adequate definition, may be described as similar in shape to a question mark. This member 17 is secured by a bolt or other suitable fastening means 18 at its stem terminal to an intermediate point of the radial arm 7, the other terminal of the member 17 being secured to a lug 19 carried by the hub .8. The band 17 is mounted to operate,throughout its movement between a pair of guide arms 20, mounted on the base 4 of the cabinet.

By way of clearly disclosing the construction and operation of this invention, attention is directed to the fact that the terminal of the member 17 is disposed in the second quadrant, the lug 19 in the first quadrant, and the rollers 20 in the fourth quadrant; reference being had in this connection to an abscissa A and ordinate B, as in Fig. 4, coincident, respectively, with the lateral and longitudinal axes of the cabinet intersecting at the vertical shaft 9. From the foregoing it will be apparent, of course, that the disposition of the members 18, 19 and 20, eould be inverted Without altering the operation of the device. Were they so inverted, the member 18 would lie in the third quadrant, the lug 19 in the fourth quadrant, and the rollers in the first quadrant.

The door is equipped on one section with a handle 21, preferably of the knob type, which is adapted to abut the wall 2 in the closed position of the door, and to engage the adjacent edge of the wall 3 in the open position of the door, for the obvious purpose of limiting the rotation of the door.

The actual construction of the device being thus disclosed, it now remains to describe the operation of the several parts. Briefly, it is as follows: The operator grasps the handle 21 and exerts a pull thereon, consequently, rotating the shaft 9 in its bearing plates and swinging the various segments of the door into the interior of the cabinet. Simultaneously with this movement, the band 17 is passed through the rollers 20, communicatin a resultant forward movement to the sha t 9, thus carrying the clothes rack toward the front of the cabinet. When the door has been swung to its innermost position, the shaft '9 and clothes rack 11 will be disposed at the front of the cabinet where the rack may be rotated to display the goods, and to permit the removal of the articles. It is to be observed that the handle 21 abuts the edge of the end Wall 3 in the open position of the door, thus preventing further inward movement of the door. To return the shaft 9 and clothes rack 11 to their normal position, it is only necessary to grasp the handle 21 and rotate the door to its original closed position.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efiicient. and practical; yet, realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device Will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A display cabinet including a case, a rotatable door adapted to normally close said case, a vertical shaft normally mounted in the center of said case and adapted for sliding movement toward the front of the said case, supporting arms for said door adjustably mounted on said shaft, a clothes rack carried by said shaft, and substantially arc-shaped band members operatively conm necting the said shaft to the said door for sliding the said shaft toward the front of the said case automatically and simultaneously with the opening of the said door.

2. A display cabinet including a case, a vertical shaft mounted for sliding movement therein and normally disposed centrally thereof, a bearing plate for each terminal of said shaft, a set of roller casters for each of said bearing plates, said casters being arranged for sliding movement within track ways formed in the top and base walls of said case, a plurality of radially extending supporting arms adjustably mounted on said shaft and adjacent each terminal thereof, a rotatable door carried on the free ends of said supporting arms, a set of guide rollers attached to the base wall of said case, a substantially arc-shaped metallic band operatively connecting said shaft to said door and mounted for movement through the said guide rollers for sliding the said vertical shaft to the front of the said case simultaneously with the opening of the said door.

3. A display cabinet including a case having a pair of longitudinally alined track ways formed on the inner faces of its upper and lower wall and extending from the center of said case toward the front thereof, a vertical shaft arranged within the said case, a bearing plate for each terminal of said shaft, a set of roller casters for each of said bearing plates, said roller casters being disposed in the said track ways, a clothes rack carried by said shaft and rotatable thereon, apair of hub members adjustably mounted ,by said hub], a door member secured to the free ends 0 said radial arms and adapted for rotation so as to be swung interiorly of the cabinet, a pair of roller guide members secured to the top and base walls of-said case, a pair of metallic band members respectively secured at one terminal to a radial supporting arm andat the other terminal to a hub member, said band members being adapted to slide the said shaft toward the front of the case simultaneously and automatically with the inward rotation of the door. .7 i

4.A display cabinet including a case, a Vertically disposed shaft mounted for sliding movement therein and normally disposed in the center thereof a bearing plate for each terminal of the said shaft, a set of roller casters for each of said bearing plates,

said casters being mounted for'sliding movement through a pair of track ways formed in'the top and base walls of the said case, a pair'of hub members adjusted adjacent the upper and lower terminals of the said verti-.

cal shaft and. adjustably keyed thereon, a pair of radial supporting arms carried by each of saidxhubs, a door secured to the free end of the said radial arms and adapted for rotation for permitting to be swung interiorly of the said case, a set of roller guides mounted on the top and base walls of said case, a pair of metallic bands arranged at the upper and lower terminals of the said shaft, said band members beingattaehed atthei-rone terminal .to a radial projecting arm and at the other to a hub member and arranged for sliding movement through the said roller. guides, said band members being 4 adapted to communicate the movement of the door member, when the latter is swung inwardly, to the said vertical shaft for sliding said shaft to the front of the said cabinet, and a circular clothes rack rotatably mounted on said vertical shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE .O. BOUCHARD. Witnesses:

' HENRY DENKEMA, J. C. SHINKMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtalnediorjve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of l'stents,

Washington, D. 0. 

